Explosive shell.



' J. L. DE MESQUITA.

EXPLOSIVE SHELL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 23. l9l6-.

1,234,881 Patented July 31, 1917.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACQUES L. DE MESQUITA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0CHARLES DATTELBAUM, HENRY DATTELBAUM, JOHN H. KIGGEN, AND JEROMEKINSTLER,

ALL or NEW xonx, n. Y.

EXPLOSIVE SHELL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 31, 1917.

Application filed September 23, 1916. Serial No. 121,908.

.ing the object at which it is directed by tearing it internally afterthe projectile has penetrated it.

The invention will be first hereinafter described in connection with theaccompany,- ing drawings, which constitute part of this specification,and then more specifically defined in the claim at the end of thedescript10n.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference characters areused to dee ignate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a shell made substantially in accordancewith this invention, the same being shown ready for use in a gun.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section of the shell, and

Fig. 3 is a detailed view of the firing pin which is mounted at theforward end of the shaft.

The rear tubular section 1 of the shell is provided with the usualflange 2 and is fitted with a cap 11. Frictionally held in the front endof the section 1 is a tubular section 3 having its rear end closed by ascrew plug 17 and carrying a cap 14 in its front end. The rear section 1is filled with powder 12, while the section 3 is filled with a mixture13 of powder and projectiles or shot.

The front end of the section 3 is provided with a reduced extension 6with which a head member 5 has threaded connection. The head member 5 ispreferably tapered and is formed with an internal chamber 7. A firingpin 9 fits .loosely in the front end of the head member 5 and has anenlarged conical head 8 which normally stands away from the front end ofthe member 5, as illustrated'in Figs. 1 and 2, being yieldingly held inthat position by a coiled spring 10 wound about said firing pin andhoused in the chamber 7. One end of the spring 10 is preferably engagedwith a transverse perforation 18 in the inner end portion of the firingpin, while the other end of said spring is connected to the front endportion of the wall of the chamber 7, as indicated at 19 in Fig. 2.

When the shell, constructed as described and as illustrated in Fig. 1,is placed in a gun and the cap 11 fired, the powder 12 in the rearsection 1 will be exploded and as the said section 1 is retained in thegun by the flange 2, said explosion will spend itself in driving thesection 3 with the head member 5 and firing pin 9 out of the gun in thesame manner as an ordinary solid bullet. When the flying projectilecomposed of the section 3, member 5' and firing pin 9, comes in contactwith the object toward which it is directed, the pointed conicalend 8 ofthe firing pin and the tapered head member 5 will permit said projectileto penetrate said object. At the same time, the firing pin will bedriven in under the force of contact, and its rear end will fire the cap14 causing the explosion of the powder in the section 3 which having nooutlet will be disrupted and the shot or projectiles which are mixedwith the powder scattered about so that the object is torn internally aswell as penetrated. I claim:

An explosive shell comprising a rear tubular section filled with anexplosive, a projectile frictionally held in said rear section andconsisting of a tubular member also filled with an explosive, saidtubular section having its rear end closed by a screw plug and its frontend provided with a reduced screw -threaded extension, a cap seatedwithin the reduced projection at the front end of said tubular member, ahead member having threaded engagement with said reduced end portion ofthe tubular member and provided with a chamber communicating with thecap, a firing pin earned by the head member and adapted to contact withthe cap when driven inward, and means for yieldingly holding said firingpm out of contact with the cap.

